Photograph
by Nostalgia-hime
Summary: Natsu and Lucy over the years, their love and promise kept in a photograph.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

I actually finished this last month but even my laptop couldn't take all the feels so it crashed right after. It just got fixed yesterday so here ya go! I suggest playing Ed Sheeran's Photograph in the background for more feels. Enjoy!

PHOTOGRAPH

 _Loving can hurt._

 _Loving can hurt sometimes_

 _But it's the only thing that I know._

She could still remember the night he told her his decision. They had been in bed after a heated session of lovemaking. She was in his arms bare naked, sleep slowly creeping into her system. She glanced at her husband who was staring deep in thought at the ceiling.

"What are you thinking?" Lucy sleeping asked.

The man beside her simply shifted his head to look at her.

She sighed. "Natsu Dragneel, don't think I haven't noticed. I know you better than that. You've been like that for the last two weeks right after you visited Gildarts. I didn't ask hoping you'd tell me eventually. But it seems difficult for you to do so I'm initiating."

Natsu kissed his wife's hair taking in her sweet scent. That delicious aroma of strawberries and vanilla intermingled with his own heat and flames was forever imprinted on his memory.

"There were sightings of Acnologia way north." He said this with a deep and serious tone. His news was able to wake her back to her senses.

I have to go, Luce. He's someone I have to defeat. I-"

Lucy didn't let him finish as she scooted closer to him hugging his chest. She knew this would happen eventually. The black dragon of the apocalypse was her husband's darkness. It had always been. No matter how much she tried to shine bright to dispel it, it had always been there in his heart. She loved him so much and if this was the only way for him to finally get rid of that darkness, then she would support him even if it would hurt her ten folds.

"Come back to me." She said softly under his arms. "I don't care how long, but please just come home to me safe with that grin on your face." Tears began to spill from her eyes.

Natsu nodded his head "Mmm. Thank you, Luce."

"I'll wait for you to come home."

 _When it gets hard,_

 _You know it can get hard sometimes._

 _It is the only thing that makes us feel alive._

He remembered the day he left them, her. It was fair weather and the skies were clear. A flock of birds had flown above them perhaps off to the next stop of their migration. A squeal was heard from the blonde little girl in Lucy's arms. Her parents giggled with her. The 9-month old loved anything that crawled and moved and she had the instinct to follow them all around not minding anything else. The toddler then struggled in her mother's hold probably wanting her to follow the birds.

"Whoah there little dragon!" her father ruffled her hair. His little girl looked just like her mother and yet her personality and behavior was definitely Natsu Dragneel. It was quite obvious despite her still being so young. Many of their friends and guildmates often remarked the almost perfect resemblance of the two.

With her attention back to her father, she began to struggle for him to take her. Natsu chuckled and obliged with much happiness.

"She's going to miss you. And I'll probably be too preoccupied with stopping her from following you when she gets a little older. Quite a tiring distraction from worrying about you, I should think so." Lucy remarked.

Those two were practically best friends. Natsu would always dote on his little girl, teaching her stuff you do not normally teach a baby. Lucy let it go as long as Nashi wouldn't get hurt. Majority of the time, Natsu was the one to calm Nashi down when she's having fits and wouldn't sleep, feed, pee nor poop. The father-daughter complex worked both ways, it seems.

He held his little girl in a tight (but not enough to hurt) grip and held her high in the air. The excited little girl squealed and giggled in his hands. "I'm going to miss you too, my little dragon princess." He brought her down and embraced her, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. One thing he hated about his decision was leaving his wife and daughter behind. As if she understood the situation, she hugged her father back.

It had been a while before he returned her to his wife. The older blonde carefully received the squirming toddler. She was very much attached to her father. Natsu then took off his signature white scarf and placed it on Lucy's neck and embraced his wife and child. He wanted to prolong this moment further. Slowly, he enclosed Lucy's lips with his own, filling it with much of his sorrow and longing. She tried hard to suppress the tears from falling. This wasn't just a simple kiss. This was a promise…that he would definitely return to them.

"I'll be back as soon as I finish this."

She didn't reply. After almost five minutes of being engulfed in their embrace, he kissed Nashi's forehead.

"I'm off," he said after planting a chaste kiss on Lucy's cheek.

Swinging his bags on his back he gave her a wide grin for the last time which earned a smile from her. And he went off. From the distance he swung his hand in the air and formed a check with his pointer finger and thumb.

 _I may not see you. But I'll be watching you._

"Wait for me to come home."

 _We keep this love in a photograph._

 _We made these memories for ourselves._

 _Where our eyes are never closing,_

 _Hearts are never broken,_

 _And time's forever frozen still._

"Say 'Fire Chicken!'"

"Fire Chicken!"

Everyone smiled as Reedus hurriedly drew the scene on his sketch book trying to fit everyone in the space. Most of the important people in their lives were present to celebrate with them. There were Gray and Juvia along with their 7 year-old son, Livid who was beside the birthday girl. Makarov, the old guild advisor was present with the current Master, Erza Scarlet. Laxus was absent but his wife, Mirajane stood at the right of the photo with their 4-year old son. Levy was at the left of the celebrant being the godmother. Gajeel was carrying their 4 year old daughter with Jet and Droy as they stood near Mirajane

Lisanna was caught in the photo as she chased after her daughter who was running with her cousin, Elfman and Evergreen's child, to the middle. Happy was sitting at the centre of the table beside the cake with Charle and Lily. Cana was laughing hysterically at the right with her booze of course. Her husband, Bacchus, was seen in the background, sitting in one of the benches, already drunk. He didn't join the picture taking but Reedus drew him still. His daughter was caught sighing in front of him.

The oldies, as the children often called them, Makao and Wakaba were also seated at the side being a bit embarrassed. Yep. They were getting old. Alzack, Bisca and Laki were behind them. Romeo, Wendy and Asuka were sitting cross-legged on the floor right in front of the table. Loke and Virgo were beside the mother of the birthday girl who was behind her, arms encircling her now six-year old princess.

"All done!"

"Happy Birthday Nashi!"

Everyone started to sing the birthday song. When they finished, the little girl blew the candles of her cake and gave them her signature toothy grin.

The kids started to flock around her. The adults dispersed into their own places and seats in the guild. Nashi hurriedly left her friends and went to Reedus' side.

"Uncle Reedus, may I see the picture?"

Reedus handed her his sketch and she hurriedly looked at it, grinning widely. "Thank you Uncle."

"Mama! Let's send this to Papa! Please!" she pleaded to her mother excitedly.

"Okay, okay love. I will be sending this to your father later along with the letter we wrote. So now, I just want you to enjoy your birthday. Okay? I'm sure papa wants that for you too." She said as she wrapped the white scaly scarf had left as a memento on her daughter's neck.

"Okay, mama. I wish papa was here though. I hope next year, he'll be able to blow the cake with me."

Nashi kissed her mom before running off to where her playmates and Aunt Lisanna were waiting for her to start the games.

Lucy held the photo in her hands. She whispered softly, "Natsu, We're still waiting."

 _So you can keep me inside the pocket of your ripped jeans_

 _Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet_

 _You won't ever be alone_

 _Wait for me to come home._

Natsu clutched at the letter and picture Lucy had sent him via a messenger pigeon. He was camping in the woods way north of Fiore. His search had led him almost to the borders. That huge lump of darkness was too elusive for his size. He should have been very remarkable. How often do you even see a giant black and blue dragon—scratch that, how often do you even see a dragon these days? And yet sightings of him were very vague. There were times that he wanted to just give up and go home, but later on he would hear a new rumour or clue that would lead him to his arch nemesis and so he kept moving forward. The sooner this quest would be over, the sooner he can blow candles with his baby girl.

Looking at the new picture, he realized that she was no longer the little squirming baby he left. Little squirming, yes. Baby, maybe? She was still his baby girl but she sure has grown up. He took out an old photo from his bag. It was a photo taken a few hours after his daughter was born. The little tyke with her little tuft of blonde hair was now a sweet little six-year old with her pig-tails. She looked just like her mother who was now sporting a bob-cut that made her look mature and well, more like a mom. And that grin, no doubt it was his.

According to the letter, Nashi was gradually becoming like him, both personality and magic-wise. Natsu chuckled when Lucy mentioned that she has this instinctive routine of fighting with that Fullbuster boy. The resemblance was uncanny. Lucy followed with an "I think, they're going to be the best of friends!" which made the man's brows furrow. No way was his daughter gonna go all friendly and maybe later on lovey-dovey with that Ice princess' kid. He wanted to puke as soon as he imagined his daughter's future. No. He'll definitely be home in time to stop that from happening.

Enclosed was another letter, this time with very a big handwriting. It was short but it made him cry. Why wouldn't he? His little girl herself wished for him to come home. She said she'll continue to blow the candles with him in her wishes. He missed them so much. He wanted to hug and kiss them both. To play with his princess and to dance with his queen. But those will have to wait. He promised his wife that he will finish this quest until the end so that they'll be together forever after.

"Wait for me for a bit my love. I'll be home soon."

 _Loving can heal._

 _Loving can mend the soul._

 _And it's the only thing that I know._

The day his daughter was born was probably the day he knew what true fear was. It was scarier than when they first encountered Acnologia. Lucy had been in the labor room for too long. He heard from Gray, who became a father earlier than him, that Juvia only labored for four hours. His wife had been there since yesterday afternoon. The sun was almost up.

He panicked when Porlyusica came out of the room and he heard Lucy's screams. He was requested inside and so he joined his wife in the battle.

Their child had somehow inherited both of their immense spiritual power and it was much too great for her small little body. It was already leaking and was draining her mother's magic. Natsu thought his wife was really strong being able to continue this for hours while being attacked internally.

"AHHHH!" He held her hand as she let out another scream from the pain. "Natsu, do somethinnnggg!"

"Hang in there Luce," What did he know? Fighting and all, he was an expert; any of this that's happening to him now, he was clueless. He was scared. He feared losing the two most important people in his life. He wouldn't know what he'd do if either of them wouldn't make it. His mind was blank. It was just void of anything as the screams of his struggling wife was muffled by the silence in his psyche.

Then he sensed it. For the first time, he sensed his child's magic clearly. He went closer to the bump and touched it. He widened his eyes when realization struck him. He quickly massaged the area, caressing it gently.

"What are you doing boy?" Porlyusica inquired.

"This child. It's not because her power is too great for her that it's like this. She just can't control it. I can feel her. She's somehow excited to come out. Her magic and scent are telling me."

He then whispered gently to the bump. "There, there little one. Mama and Papa are here. We're so excited to meet you, princess." He felt the magic change. As if it was giggling now instead of laughing earlier. "Listen to papa, my love. Papa needs you to calm down so that mama will be able to have ya out of there in no time."

Lucy's face seemed to calm down, the magic attacking her system slowly subsiding. "Very good, sweetheart. I need you to relax, okay? Mama is really having a hard time here. Don't worry Papa's just here. I'll be the first you'll meet. I love you sweetheart."

The coaxing lasted for a good thirty minutes until finally, he heard the crying of his little one. The last push took all of Lucy's last remaining strength and willpower. Natsu didn't know how to respond to the overwhelming happiness he felt as he cradled his little princess in his arms. He couldn't believe it. He was finally a father. The little ball of life he was holding was his own flesh and blood. Theirs. The fruit of their love. "She's beautiful, Luce."

He brought the little tyke to his wife who was just as excited as him to see her. "She looks just like you, Luce!" he grinned.

She chuckled, "Yeah but with what happened earlier, I'd say she'd grow up as rowdy as you." She definitely didn't know if she'd be able to keep being sane with two very loud and high-energy people to watch over but she knew she wouldn't mind at all. She'd definitely love them both unconditionally.

"What should we call her?"

"Luigi?"

"I refuse. And that's a boy's name, Natsu."

"How about Nashi? One character from each of our names. So that wherever she may go, she'll always have a part of us with her. She'll never be alone."

"Hmmm...Nashi eh? I like it. All right. Our sweet little Nashi." She nuzzled her daughter as if she couldn't have enough of her. It was love at first sight. "Mama loves you so much." Lucy settled the baby closer to her breast as she drifted to sleep.

Fairy Tail visited a few hours after. Everyone was excited to see the new addition to the Dragneels. Some actually had ulterior motives like knowing who won the bet on whether the baby will have pink hair (Mira and the other girls of course) or will she look like Lucy or look funny like Natsu (Gray for sure).

Reedus drew a picture of the new family with Happy. What was supposedly the scariest day of his life turned out to be the happiest because finally, he has a new reason to fight and live, his family.

No matter where they go, they'll always have each other to come home to.

 _I swear it will get easier,_

 _Remember that with every piece of you._

 _And it's the only thing we take with us when we die._

"I don't care about him, ma. Last thing I remember, he never did any parenting. You're the only one who raised me." The short-haired younger blonde said angrily. This issue has been their argument for years. She was tired and sleepy from her previous mission. She did not wish to be hearing anything about her estranged father. It was taking a toll on her ears.

"Don't say that, love. Your father is working hard to finish his mission so that he can come back to us soon. We should believe in him. He'll be home in no time." Her mother, the older blonde who now had her long hair tied up in a bun defended her husband.

"When's that exactly, ma?" the anger was starting to creep into Nashi's heart. "You've been telling me that for almost eighteen years already! I've grown tired of waiting for a man who made us his second priority! He's even stopped sending us letters. I hate him! I will get stronger and stronger until I surpass him and I'll show him that I was the girl he abandoned. And I won't even flinch when he gives me his petty excuses."

"Nashi, what has gotten into you? You take that back this instant!" Lucy was heartbroken now. It was hard hearing her daughter doubt her father. Harder was the realization that all she said was true. Hardest was she was beginning to doubt her husband's return as well.

"I'll hate him for the rest of my life, ma. Not even my love for you, ma, can change that." Nashi bowed her head at the food to say thank you then went upstairs to her room.

Silence. Lucy didn't know what to say. For years she had tried to convince her daughter to believe in her father's return and for years she also saw the disappointment written on her daughter's face. She herself was hurt and discouraged but she kept it to herself. Nashi didn't need any more negativity. Natsu promised to come home. She'll hold his words forever.

She started to unpack her daughter's travelling bag. Inside, hidden underneath her daughter's worn blankets, she saw a familiar piece of clothing. It was white and scaly and it looked to have been smothered for it was very much wrinkled and Nashi's scent lingered on it.

"You tell me this but you still sleep with your father's scarf even until now." She smiled with hope.

"Come home soon, Natsu. Nashi and I are still waiting."

 _We keep this love in a photograph._

 _We made these memories for ourselves._

 _Where our eyes are never closing,_

 _Hearts are never broken,_

 _And time's forever frozen still._

He should really be off. He didn't belong here. He had lingered long enough in the place. But the village had been very hospitable to him during his almost three years of injury and memory loss. Attending the chief's daughter's wedding was the least he could do.

He observed as people scurried doing last minute preparations. He caught sight of Toptim, the groom with his huge headdress made of feathers, smiling as the other men of the tribe laughed with him. The salmon-haired man suddenly had a vision of a man—himself, grinning in his black suit.

Ever since he found out that he really wasn't a member of this tribe almost a month ago, the visions became frequent. There had been flashes of memory before when he was really clueless but, now they have gotten longer and clearer.

He took out the necklace they had returned to him upon telling him that they had just found him drifting in the river after they heard of a cataclysmic battle mountains away. Inside was a picture of him, a blonde woman, a flying blue cat and a blonde baby—his family, he presumed. The edges were blurry after being wet from the river (he would guess) but thank goodness the faces in the photo were still visible. The woman had appeared in his visions in more time than he could count. Every time, she had this feeling of warmth enveloped in her mere sight that spread to his heart.

Soon there was cheering from everyone as the ladies came out of the bridal tent and began dancing. There were shouts, whistles, giggles, laughs. Everyone was happy. When Pippa, the bride came out of the tent, the face of the same blonde woman flashed in his memory. And he remembered her smile as she walked in the aisle in her white dress that hugged her curves and he knew she was his.

"Lucy." He remembered her name. As she got closer to where he stood, the details of her angelic face became clearer. Her chocolate brown eyes had a warmth in them that he longed for. When she reached him, she smiled under her veil and he grinned at her. This beautiful soul, this goddess would be his forever. No. She was already his for a long time.

And when she said "I do," it was probably the sweetest sound he had heard. And when he took off her veil to kiss her, they had both blushed. Her lips were the sweetest thing he had tasted and he craved her.

"Oi! Congratulations Flame-brain!" He heard his best-man say as he punched him after the couple had broken off their kiss. The people were cheering in their seats. A scarlet-haired woman was crying along with a little old-man beside her. A huge man was shouting something about being a man. A blue-haired woman in the entourage seats was hugging her baby as the silver-haired girl beside her embraced her. A brunette beside the two was shouting "Bring in the booze!" The others were jumping and saying congratulations. A teenage girl flew up in the air with three flying cats (one was the blue one in the picture) and started sprinkling flowers above them.

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Natsu Dragneel!" everyone said happily.

 _Natsu Dragneel._ Was that his name? Yes. He remembered it now. Natsu and Lucy. They would always be together forever. But where was she now? How long has she been waiting for him?

And in that instant he knew, he had to see her again. "Wait for me. I'm coming home, Luce."

 _So you can keep me inside the pocket of your ripped jeans_

 _Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet_

 _You won't ever be alone_

 _Wait for me to come home ._

Lucy scanned the pages of the old album. Every now and then whenever she's alone at home she would take the time to bathe in the sweet memories contained in the book.

Nashi has been gone for almost two months. She was off on another S-class quest and she had informed her mother before leaving that the mission would probably last half a year. Lucy didn't object, wanting to give her as much freedom as she wanted. Her little girl was practically a woman now. At age 21, she was fully capable of making decisions for herself. Lucy had insisted though that she send her a letter at least every two weeks informing the older blonde of her safety. As a mother, she couldn't help but worry for her daughter's safety. The feeling would probably never leave her. Her daughter wasn't a prick about it though and much obliged. The two shared a very strong bond. Nashi doted on her mother as much as the latter did her.

A letter had just arrived earlier that morning and Lucy couldn't help but smile and think about how her daughter has really grown up. She felt nostalgic and immersed herself more in the feeling by looking at the old family albums. In the first few pages, she smiled as she remembered those happy days as a teenager doing random jobs with her two best friends. She slowly touched the grinning face of the pink-haired mage who was beside her in the picture.

"Natsu. Where are you?" Her husband was alive. She knew. She could still feel him in her heart. She had already asked her guildmates and friends to bring her news of him if ever they encounter any during their travels and quests. He had not written for almost five years and she started crying imagining the worst. Could he have forgotten them? Was he okay? Where was he?

"Lussshhiiiee!" She heard her little feline best friend come into the room. "Are you looking at the album again Lushie?"

The blonde nodded. "I just felt like remembering the old times again, Happy." The blue cat sat on her lap. She smiled. It was reprieve to have at least one of her oldest best friends stay with her during these times. She knew Happy missed Natsu too. And together, their feelings were one as they scanned the pages.

There were countless pictures of the guild. The current guild was so different and yet so similar to how it was in the past. There were so many new faces, mainly the new generation, children of the veterans who have now grown up. There were also people missing—retirees and people who left for long vacations and people missing in action. One was her husband. And yet Fairy Tail continued to be the noisiest and most overly exaggerated guild in Fiore.

"Everyone's gotten old, ne Lushie."

"Yeah. We're one to talk." She chuckled. Lucy had retired from doing mage job years ago when Nashi proved capable of handling S-Class jobs by herself. They reached a photo of Nashi and Lucy when the younger blonde passed her S-Class examinations. She was twelve and everyone remarked her talent for passing the difficult test at such a young age. She held the record of being the youngest to pass. Erza had high hopes for her to follow in her footsteps as the eight Master of Fairy Tail. Despite her new status, Lucy had insisted she join her daughter in every S-class job after that. She stopped when Nashi was sixteen. She figured it was time to let go.

"Ne, look at us Lushie! Nashi was still a few hours old when this was taken." Lucy teared when she remembered the overwhelming happiness she felt when she held her little angel for the first time.

"Nashi has always been overly excited even as a baby." Happy giggled. "She didn't let me tag along this time though." Happy was practically Nashi's best friend next to her mom. They were inseparable. He would often follow her during her quests.

"I'm sure she has her reasons. She must have wanted you to stay here to accompany me. Don't you wanna be with me?"

The cat hugged her belly tight. "Course I do. We're a team, right? We'll wait for her and Natsu together."

She then saw their wedding photo. She could not stop the tears from flowing. That had been the happiest day of her life after Nashi's birthday of course. She remembered how her idiot husband got to the church earlier than everybody else and chased some bandits to pass the time and ended up in a train that took him to the next town. Everyone started to get worried. She, the bride, was there in the church waiting for him instead of the other way around for Pete's sake. Erza and Mirajane seemed ready to spew fire themselves. Gray, Elfman and Alzack had left to look for Natsu.

She realized now that it was probably a premonition of their married life. Her waiting for him to return from wherever he got lost to and yet he'd returned. He had drastically run back to her then. And she knew, he would still now. She just had to have faith.

"Yeah. We'll wait for them. I'm sure he's running home right now. They'll be home soon."

 _And if you hurt me,_

 _That's okay, baby, only words bleed_

 _Inside these pages you just hold me_

 _And I won't ever let you go._

Her daughter was hugging her tightly as she lay in bed crying her heart out. Gildarts had arrived bearing news that a battle between a black dragon and a mage was spotted about six years ago by a village. The fight had left a huge crater that spread for miles. The dragon was able to escape but they did not know the whereabouts of the mage that challenged him.

Why has this news reached her just now? She could have searched for her husband right then. She thought all these years that her husband was still alive, safe—struggling but safe. No wonder he hadn't written in years.

Nashi didn't know how to comfort her mother. The woman had spent twenty two years waiting for her estranged father to come back, believing he will in time. Now that there was news of him, even she didn't know how to respond. Truth be told, she held a deep resentment for her old man who left them when she wasn't even a year old to go off on a long pointless journey her mother never told her anything about. Now, she knew why he had been gone from them. He was searching for Acnologia, the legendary great black dragon of the apocalypse who killed her father's dragon parent, Igneel.

It was an endless cycle of vengeance and her life was compromised because of it. Because of that stupid duty of her father to destroy the monster, she grew up without someone to teach her her innate Dragon-slaying magic. No one to eat fire-chicken with her, no father to congratulate her when she passed her S-class exams with flying colors, no one to scare off those stupid boys who were swooning over her. She'd think it would be troublesome but deep in her heart she just wanted to feel loved and appreciated by the man who chose a dragon over her.

"He's not dead!" Her mother had wailed in between sobs. "He promised me he would return. He promised!"

Nashi stroked Lucy's hair to calm her down. She hated it when her mother cried. Her mother, Lucy Dragneel was probably the strongest woman she knew. She alone raised her; taking on jobs while seeing to it that she was properly taken care of. She was never allowed to miss a meal at home. When Nashi got sick, Lucy would fret over her and wouldn't sleep a wink until she's all better. During her S-class mage trial, she excused herself from being an examiner so that she can give her full support to her daughter. She always said that she'd do things twice as much as a normal parent would because she'll be doing it for her father as well.

Oftentimes, she would chance upon her crying mother looking at the old family album and her heart would ache and her blood boil. This woman did not deserve this. Her mother who only knew how to love should not know how to be hurt. And she still was despite all her denials and her faith in the man.

Lucy fell asleep in her daughter's arms still clutching the white scaly scarf her husband had left her. She would hold on to this. And she found herself still clutching the same article in her dream. He was there with her grinning that same toothy grin she so loved. She hurriedly ran to his side and engulfed him in her embrace. His warmth was still there. It never faded over the years they were apart and over the minutes they had clung to each other and then she woke up and she knew.

"I'm still waiting for you, you idiot. I know you're alive somewhere. I'll wait until you get back to your senses and come home."

 _Wait for me to come home._

Natsu dreamt of Lucy again. Over the years, he had slowly remembered his past. He was nearing the borders of the country of Fiore each day.

"I wonder if she'll still recognize me. Was she even waiting still?" His salmon-hair had grown long up to his shoulders now. His body was full of scars from the years of fighting monsters and beating harsh terrain. But one thing that never changed in him was the necklace he wore near his chest with the photo of his wife and child. Nashi. He was excited to see her. He wanted to smother her in his love. His little princess would surely have been a grown woman by now. But he wouldn't care.

He was alerted when a huge gust of wind had passed the area he was in and it was followed by a deafening roar that was sure to strike fear in a normal person's heart. Natsu was, however, in no way normal so he smirked at the situation.

"Bout time I finish this for good. Just you hang in there Luce, Nashi. Daddy's gonna wrap this up really quick and be home for dinner." He grinned.

 _Wait for me to come home._

Lucy felt strange as soon as she woke up. No. Even before that. She dreamt of her husband just like she did every night. But that night was different. The atmosphere in her dream had been very hot, scorching as if the very flames of her husband were engulfing it. Usually, it would be cool and warm but then, it was horrible. As if she was experiencing whatever he was going through at the moment. There was a feeling of foreboding in her heart.

By instinct, she grabbed her keys. She had, by now, gathered the thirteen keys together. Yukino had retired early and entrusted her the remaining three keys since her son obviously chose the slayer's side. Lucy was meaning to pass down her treasures to her daughter who had insisted that as long as her mother was alive, she will not be taking those keys from her.

With a swift motion, all thirteen keys were up in the air and Lucy performed her ancient spell. A blinding light enveloped her that reach the sky.

"Idiot, I'll have to help you get home sooner."

 _You can fit me inside the necklace you got when you were sixteen,_

 _Next to your heartbeat where I should be._

 _Keep it deep within your soul._

Natsu clutched at the necklace in his chest. His breathing had become ragged as the last roar he sent took much of his energy and power. The black dragon wasn't as unscathed as he used to be during their last fight. His body now held a wide wound brought about by almost three days of intense battling with the Salamander.

The salmon-haired mage tasted the blood in his lips. His stamina was inhuman but another day of this and he would definitely exhaust himself empty. "I need time to recharge." He thought.

Just then a blinding light bathed him in heat. This feeling, this warmth he knew this. The light soothed his aching body and healed his wounds. He felt the ethernano in his body recharge faster. He was given a boost, a power up. He began eating the flames the light produced and he felt invigorated and replenished.

"Really, Luce. Thank you for the meal!" he smirked and charged for the kill.

"Fire Dragon Secret Art, Dragon Force!" Over the years he had managed to perfect this last stage of dragon-slayer magic. It was the pinnacle of the art—to be able to transform into a dragon. To defeat the king of dragons, one must become a dragon with the power to kill dragons.

And so slowly his skin turned to scales and wings grew from his back and his fingers became claws and talons. His screams of pain became a roar and his breath became fire that incinerated anything it enveloped.

"I'm fired up!"

 _And if you hurt me,_

 _That's okay, baby, only words bleed_

 _Inside these pages you just hold me_

 _And I won't ever let you go._

Lucy had been in bed after she collapsed that day. She had with her, the scarf that was a memento of her husband. It was what kept her believing he would return. She heard a knock on the door. "Come in."

"I brought you dinner ma. " Nashi laid down the tray in the bedside table. "It's hot soup and I snuck in your favorite chocolate for dessert." The younger blonde winked at her mother.

"Thank you, sweetie."

"Geez ma. Don't scare me like that. You really shouldn't exert too much of your magic. We should really get you checked by Porlyusica-baachan when you're strong enough to walk."

She earned a nod and a smile from the older woman. True enough Lucy was feeling her age. She was now forty eight. Quite young for a mage but she really couldn't tell her daughter the reason she collapsed.

"I was so scared. What if something happened to you? Thank Mavis I wasn't out on a job." She was crying now. "Please ma. Don't overexert yourself. I don't know what I'd do without you."

She was like a little girl again as she pleaded with her mother clutching her hands tightly.

"Nashi. Na from Natsu. Shi from Rushi. You hold a character from each of our names. You, the fruit of our love. Even if we are apart, your father and I will always be with you." Lucy smiled as she stroked her daughter's hair who had now clung to her belly.

"When you were born, we were the happiest." She then proceeded to tell her daughter the story of her birth. This was the first time she heard of it. "Your father was the first one you spoke with. And he was the one who gave you your name."

"He loves you so much, Nashi. More than you could ever understand. In all his letters, he always wrote how he missed you and how he wished he was there with us."

"That man may be prone to being distracted but he knows how to find his way back. And he always keeps his promises. That's why all these years I have always believed in him. You should too."

For the first time, Nashi listened to her mother talk about her father. "I have been trying to look for him for years." She confessed. "During my quests, I tried seeking information of his whereabouts. They were vague and sometimes bad so I didn't tell you."

"I know. You are so like him after all. Both of you could never hate your parent for leaving you. Because that is what you are. Loving and faithful."

"I think I got that from you, mama." The younger girl scooted closer to her mother treasuring the warmth she gave.

"You'll be fine, my love. We, your father and I love you so much." She planted a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

"I love you too mama." They drifted to sleep like that. Just like they usually did when she was but a child.

Lucy dreamt of Natsu again that night. As usual, everything was white, nothingness. The man who appeared like his eighteen year old self came to her grinning. "I did it Luce! I finished it!"

She looked at him with a confused look. When she didn't respond, he reached out both of his hands.

"I'm home!" he said with a grin.

She clasped both of her hands into her mouth as hot tears spilled from her eyes. She was smiling as she melted in his arms clinging to him.

"Welcome home."

He pulled away from their embrace and wiped the tears on her eyes with his thumb still grinning. He reached out his right hand, "Let's go on more adventures."

She smiled and took his right hand.

 _When I'm away_

 _I will remember how you kissed me under the lamppost back on Sixth Street_

 _Hearing you whisper through the phone,_

It was already late when they arrived from their job. The guild was already closed and the man needed to be tended to. He destroyed the historic temples and ruins with as much hyperbole as anyone could describe. And she thought all those years taught him control. No. It just made him worse. So they decided to just go home so that she can tend to his wounds herself.

Winter was making itself known and snow was starting to fall. The blonde woman was walking ahead. She was still angry at the man for not knowing how to hold back. He just throws his fists everywhere he feels. Plus, the man was in a slump. She doesn't know why though. Her patience was actually wearing thin without having to ask him his problem. She should be the one to be depressed. All that reward money going to payment for damages.

No longer being able to resist, she called out to him. "Oi' Natsu! What's the big deal?" She had her hands in her hips.

Natsu's spirit was really down their whole journey back. Wait. Even before that. He didn't even celebrate their victory. Not hearing an answer from her partner, she walked towards him a bit mad.

"Oi' Natsu, what's wrong with you? I'm still angry about the damages but you can tell me whatever you're feeling. What kind of a partner would I be if I can't even let you trust me?"

"I'm sorry Luce." There was a gloomy shadow in the man's brow. He must be really depressed.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I couldn't protect you. You were almost hurt."

Lucy's eyes reflected her shock at his confession. "Oi' wait a second, Natsu. Don't underestimate me. You may have passed the exam two years ahead of me but that does not mean I'm no better than you. I can hold my own and I did."

He hugged her then, "I know. You're strong, Luce. I know that. But my mistake almost cost me you. I almost lost you."

Was this really Natsu she was hearing now? The dense, obstinate Natsu who couldn't even differentiate between proper and socially un-acceptable such as barging into her shower or punching an important official in the face.

"I know you're worried but snap out of it, Natsu. I'm an S-class mage in my own right and I don't need you to worry over me like how you did back in the days."

His hold got tighter. There was silence between the two. She should have been freezing by now but Natsu's heat kept her warm.

"Ne, Natsu. Don't fret. Everything's gonna be okay. I'll always be here with you, okay? I'm not going anywhere." A blush slowly tinted her cheeks when she realized that what she said was equal to a confession.

"I won't hold back." She was more confused now.

"When it comes to you, I won't hold back." Her face must have looked like an overripe tomato after what he said.

He slowly pulled away and she was able to look at his eyes. Those eyes that were usually full of mirth was now filled with sorrow and fear and concern and—was that really what she was seeing? Love?

Slowly he grabbed her waist with his right hand pulling her closer to him. His left hand held her chin.

"I love you, Luce." and slowly, he lowered his lips to hers in a kiss that relayed to her all of his feelings for her. It took her a few seconds to respond to him as she tiptoed to give him her reply.

She couldn't believe this. To be giving her first kiss to the man she had secretly loved for almost five years. This was so surreal.

And so they stayed like that for a while. Their feelings finally met with a passionate kiss under the flickering lamppost in the late night street of Magnolia. They were twenty-two and nothing could be better than this.

 _Wait for me to come home._

A blonde was standing between two freshly deposited mounds of earth overlooking the ocean. It was already sunset. She had been there for almost two hours. Everyone from the guild has left earlier hoping to give her time to be by herself. Happy was standing near her. Tears still pouring from his eyes despite his efforts to suppress them.

The woman stepped forward to place the bouquet of flowers she had on the first tombstone. "Lucy Dragneel" it said.

Her mother had died peacefully in her sleep. She was forty eight. Nashi was beside her the whole night and she never heard a struggle nor a cry of pain from the older blonde. It was as if she just decided to leave while dreaming. She was smiling before she passed on. At least she didn't feel any pain. She had been keeping all her hurts bottled up inside her her whole life. Now, she was finally free of them. That was a relief for the younger blonde whose eyes were now red from all the crying.

According to Porlyusica and her spirits, Lucy had contracted Magic Deficiency Disease after she performed an ancient supportive spell. The spell itself, though requiring a lot of magical energy, wasn't supposed to put a strain on her magic to endanger her life. But she pushed her limits, the spell's limit too far and it had left her body and magic severely weakened.

Two days later, news of Acnologia's defeat reached the guild along with her father's body. She didn't know how to respond to the news that the person she longed to see her whole life had finally returned and yet barely. She hesitated to go near him. The veteran members of the guild flocked around him. Erza was frozen. Lisanna was wailing as she cried along with Wendy. Elfman looked away while Evergreen silently cried in his arms. Gray kneeled beside his body cursing him for all the worries he'd caused for the last twenty four years. Juvia held his slumped shoulders, her hands clutching her son's hands. Beside him was Gajeel trying to sense for signs of life in his old rival.

Mirajane didn't have the guts to go near them as she froze in the counter, hands still clasped in her mouth from the shock. Makarov was trying hard to keep it together. In just two days, two of his children had left him. It wasn't something a parent could accept so easily. Levy was with Nashi as she held her late best friend's distraught daughter in her arms. This was too much for the poor girl.

Natsu's eyes slowly opened. Everyone hurriedly had Nashi approach her father. The younger blonde didn't exactly know what to say. Tears didn't fall from her eyes unlike when she found out about her mother.

"Lucy?" the man with the salmon-pink hair asked with a soft smile. She didn't respond. The man in front of her was the man she had hated majority of her life. The same man that caused her mother so much woe. And yet in the man's eyes, his dying eyes, she could see so much emotion. As if she felt all the pent up feelings he could not express for twenty four years. The man who was now the world's hero, in front of her was just a weak father as he lay with his last few breaths.

He slowly held up his hand to touch her cheek. He wiped away the tears that she had unconsciously shed. "No… Nashi. My Little Dragon Princess." He caressed her cheek and she held his hand. She remembered now. This warmth she had felt it before, when she was a just a baby. No. Even when she was still in her mama's womb. She felt it every day in her flames. How could she have forgotten?

"You look just like her, your mother."

She cried hard then, unable to suppress the longing she felt for her old man. She missed him. She loved him and she knew he did her as well…more.

The man somehow understood her and he felt it—the absence in his heart ever since the morning of two days ago. He knew she was no longer here. She had gone on ahead of him. It doesn't matter. He'll be with her soon. His injuries were too grave. His body was giving in.

"I'm home." he finally said with a soft grin before he closed his eyes for the last time.

"Papaaaa! No! Don't leave me just yet! I need you! Papppaaaa!" Nashi cried out as she hugged her dead father. Everyone in the room cried silently for their fallen comrade.

Nashi wouldn't let go of Natsu. It's as if she was taking the time to imprint every memory of her father into her mind and heart. His face, his lingering scent, his beautiful but disheveled salmon-pink hair, even that grin she realized was just like hers. Twenty four years of not seeing him. It was to make up for all those years.

She then noticed something clasped in the man's left hand. He must have been holding it unconsciously before he died. She opened his hands and saw a heart-shaped necklace. Inside was the same picture her mother always had with her. It was probably their earliest family photo. It was taken a few hours after she was born.

And she let out a wail as she cried her heart out. He had been thinking about them, her. He never forgot his family nor his daughter during those years. They had been in his mind and heart even as he fought to his death.

And as she placed the second bouquet of flowers in his grave she couldn't help but wonder what it could have been growing up with him by her side. This strong mage, this loving father. They probably would have been a very happy family. Then she remembered her mother's last words to her.

"Even if we are apart, your father and I will always be with you… You'll be fine, my love. We, your father and I love you very much."

She knew. Lucy knew that Natsu's long quest was finally over. She had been with him even until the end. Those two were inseparable. And now they were finally together.

"Mama, you're finally done waiting." She smiled as she hugged Happy.

"Welcome home, papa."

-Fin-


End file.
